Student union bill in peril as Nats defy PM

National Party senators are threatening to block the Federal Government's legislation to outlaw student unions, potentially derailing one of the Prime Minister's ideological ambitions.

Two incoming senators, Queensland's Barnaby Joyce and NSW's Fiona Nash - who have already indicated their opposition to the voluntary student unionism bill in its present form - are likely to be joined by others.

Over the weekend, the NSW National Party conference voted to oppose voluntary student unionism, as have Nationals in Victoria and Queensland.

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The Herald understands at least one other National Party senator holds serious reservations over the bill and wants it debated further, while the Country Liberal Party senator Nigel Scullion said the proposed legislation would have to be amended before he would support it.

The growing push against the Government's freedom-of-association reforms has exposed another serious ideological rift within the Coalition. Only last week the Prime Minister, John Howard, was forced to back down on the Government's hardline stance over the detention of asylum seekers, following a backbench revolt.

The National Party MP Kay Hull yesterday described the partyroom debate over voluntary unionism when as "vitriolic" and said she "shared no common ground" with the Liberal Party on the issue. Her account is in stark contrast to that of the Liberal backbencher Sophie Panopoulos, who said the bill was received with "unanimous cheering" from Coalition members before it was introduced to Parliament.

Given the united front that Labor, the Democrats and the Greens have presented in favour of student unions, it would take only one National Party senator prepared to cross the floor to deadlock the vote. A second maverick senator would push the numbers in the Opposition's favour, as would a vote against voluntary unionism by the incoming Family First senator Steve Fielding, who is yet to decide.

Mr Joyce argued yesterday that charging a compulsory fee - but excluding the funding of political activities by students - was necessary to ensure regional universities held on to vital sporting, cultural, health and welfare services.

He said the legislation "would have to be tweaked a bit" before he could support the bill. Ms Nash said she had "real concerns" about the current bill after interviewing vice-chancellors from Lismore to Albury, and was hoping to "find some sort of solution".

But the Government remains uncompromising, warning it will not tolerate any dilution to the Abolition of Compulsory Up-front Student Union Fees Bill, to go before the Senate when it comes under the Government's control on July 1. In a clear warning to incoming senators, the Minister for Education, Brendan Nelson, said every Liberal and National Party candidate who stood for election last year did so on a platform of voluntary student unionism as presented in the bill.

"Whilst there are some people around the country who seem to want to see some softening in relation to voluntary student unionism, under no circumstances is the Government or will the Government consider any sort of retreat from the current position," Dr Nelson said.

The Liberal senator Brett Mason said yesterday the right to choose whether to join a student union had been "burned into the psyches" of many Liberal MPs and voluntary unionism was an "issue of principle rather than pragmatic politics" for many.

While saying "revenge might be a little strong", he said Liberal MPs viewed passing the bill unamended as a way of "evening the score" against their political rivals from universities of the 1970s and 80s.

Mr Joyce described Senator Mason's comments as "pretty sad" and the uncompromising Liberal position as a "bloody-minded way to look at things".

The National Party Senate leader, Ron Boswell, said yesterday: "We have expressed our concerns and we're waiting to see how it will be handled."

The bill was not discussed during yesterday's joint partyroom meeting.